Ukrainian militants display European hostages

Published 7:42 pm, Sunday, April 27, 2014

Vacheslav Ponomarev (second from left), the self- proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk, is flanked by foreign observers being held by his group as he addresses the media.

Vacheslav Ponomarev (second from left), the self- proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk, is flanked by foreign observers being held by his group as he addresses the media.

Photo: Sergei Grits, Associated Press

Ukrainian militants display European hostages

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Slovyansk, Ukraine -- Pro-Russian militants in camouflage fatigues and black balaclavas paraded captive European military observers before the media on Sunday, hours after three Ukrainian security guards were shown on Russian TV bloodied, blindfolded and stripped of their trousers and shoes, their arms bound with packing tape.

The provocative displays came as the increasingly ruthless pro-Russian insurgency in the east turns to hostage-taking as an ominous new tactic.

Germany's foreign minister condemned the appearance as "revolting" and a violation of the men's dignity. Four members of the team are German. One of the observers, a Swedish officer, was released later in the day for medical reasons.

Dozens of people are being held hostage, including journalists and pro-Ukraine activists, in makeshift jails in Slovyansk in the heart of the separatists' territory, as the pro-Russian insurgents strengthen their control in the east in defiance of the interim government in Kiev and its Western supporters.

Col. Axel Schneider from Germany, who spoke for the group of military observers detained on Friday, stressed that they were on a diplomatic mission under the auspices of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe and weren't spying for NATO, as the insurgents claim.

Referring to himself and his team as "guests" under the "protection" of the city's self-proclaimed mayor, Schneider said they were being treated as well as possible under the circumstances.

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The Ukrainian government and the West have accused Russia of using covert forces to encourage the unrest in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia militias have seized police stations and government buildings in at least 10 cities and towns.

The U.S. and other nations in the Group of Seven have announced plans to impose additional economic sanctions on Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine. The European Union also is planning more sanctions, with ambassadors from the bloc to meet Monday in Brussels to add to the list of Russian officials who have been hit by asset freezes and travel bans.

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